m_findlow

Title: The perks of isolation
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters/Pairings: Ianto, Jack
Word Count: 500 words
Rating: PG
Notes: Written for Challenge 133 - Good at anythingdrabble
Summary: Ianto is holding firm to the glass half full approach to self quarantine.

'This sucks,' Jack declared, flopping heavily onto the sofa.

'That's a bit dramatic,' Ianto replied, sitting down next to him. 'This could be a good thing.'

Jack looked at him like he'd lost his mind. 'I don't see what could possibly be good about being stuck in quarantine for two weeks,' Jack sulked.

Ianto rested a hand on his knee. 'Well, for a start, you were the one who told Owen there's a chance we have the virus on account of that brief period of exposure, and that the symptoms might not show for at least twelve days. Secondly, given the option of being locked down in a containment rooms at the hub with basic provisions and absolutely no privacy, or tucked away at home with all the creature comforts, I know which I'd pick. I'm prepared to stay indoors and not go out if it means I can have my own bed and a kitchen with all the modern conveniences.'

Jack folded his arms, still annoyed at their rotten luck. 'Chances of actually being infected are minimal. This is an overreaction. Owen would do anything to get rid of me and take over running Torchwood.'

'Pretty sure Owen will be anything but relishing the responsibility. Think about it, Jack. How many times have you complained we never get a break from work?'

'I meant the kind of break that entails lounging on the beach, sipping cocktails and watching people with no clothes on taking a stroll in the shallows.'

Ianto sighed. Jack's nudist colony holiday suggestion was not going to go away without a fight. 'Yeah, okay, so it's no getaway to a tropical paradise, but think about it. All those movies we never get to finish because a rift alert always gets in the way. The mountain of books piling up from every Christmas and birthday that we never find time to read. And the slow-cooked breakfasts and dinners that are nothing more than a pipedream. Now we'll have loads of time for whipping up a storm in the kitchen, and you can show off those masterful chef skills you keep bragging about.'

'What about food, huh? If we can't leave the house, that seems pretty pointless.'

'Tosh offered to pop down to the shops and buy us anything we need. She'll drop it off at the doorstep.'

'Well, I suppose...'

'Have you forgotten the best part? Two weeks alone, no interruptions. In fact, no one can come near us, all just to be on the safe side.'

'What if we do get it? We'll be too sick to enjoy any of what you've just said.'

'All the more reason to start now whilst we still feel up to it. Come on,' Ianto said, coaxing Jack with a hand that went somewhere Jack wasn't expecting it to, 'I've got something we can do that we couldn't do in one of the hub's observation pods.'

Jack chuckled. 'You think people being able to watch us would have stopped me?'